• Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.ml
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    11 hours ago

    There’s no such thing as brainwashing, or “reprogramming” as you call it. The idea that one can force the mind of another into believing something contrary to reality via “mind control” was invented by Edward Hunter, as a way to explain why Chinese soldiers supported socialism during the Korean War. The CIA tried to make it happen with projects like MK Ultra, which all failed to produce any evidence that brainwashing is possible.

    China isn’t a utopia, it has a long way to go, but it’s a socialist country where the working classes are in control of the state. China is more democratic than Canada, where capitalists dominate the state and the government gives standing ovations to Nazis.

    I wish I was paid by the CPC to debunk anticommunist myths and promote socialism, but instead I pay dues to the org I work with. It’s because I study China and Marxism-Leninism that I support them. If you want an introduction to the Chinese system of socialism, I recommend Roland Boer’s Socialism with Chinese Characteristics: A Guide for Foreigners. It’s helpful for understanding how China’s system works.

    I think it’s pretty clear by now that I have the beliefs I do because I’ve put a great deal of effort into studying China, Marxism-Leninism, and have looked into common allegations against them as part of that process. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t try to explain that away by calling me “deluded.” Even if I were paid by the CPC, it wouldn’t change the merit of what I have to say one bit, it would only reveal motive.

    A survey of citizens that know they cannot speak ll without retribution to them or their family, will always look positive. Please use some critical thinking here.

    I suggest reading Support for government in China: is the data accurate?

    • BCsven@lemmy.ca
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      11 hours ago

      Brainwashing by some pseudo mind control is not how it works, its indoctrination by rote. Same as cults or religious faith. There core belief is altered to somebody elses way.

      Of course if you were paid it would change the merit.

      You seriously don’t seem to understand critical thinking. And this is a waste of time

      Have a good evening.

      • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.ml
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        11 hours ago

        There’s no “indoctrination by rote.” Again, the CIA tried to do this, and could not get it to work. This is a conspiracy theory. Further, whether or not I get paid to write what I do has no impact on the truth of what I say, like I already said it would just prove motivation for it, but the claims themselves are independent of that motive.

        I understand critical thinking well enough, resorting to insults when you can’t effectively counter the points I raise doesn’t help your points, it hurts them rhetorically.

        • BCsven@lemmy.ca
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          10 hours ago

          It is not an insult, it is fact. You are spouting rhetoric without actually thinking about what you relay. CIA tries over a small period in an experiment, bad results.

          But Dude look up cults and how their leaders get them to do things like drink poison or murder for them. Or have a extreme group suicide bomb themselves. Indoctrination.

          If you raise a kid and tell him everyday that black people are bad, they believe it and perpetuate it. Indoctrination.

          You are being what the rest of the world criticizes China for doing to its citizens. Being single minded with out a way to see past the delusions, and regurgitate random info without actually disseminating the root of things.

          Again, you thinking being paid or not doesn’t change the merit , it absolutely does.

          Just like when red state newspapers report on news: they have to slant it to favour the payer or you don’t get paid. It’s how control works.

          If you don’t see this, then that is highly unfortunate that you can’t see the truth.

          • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.ml
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            1 hour ago

            I think about what I write quite a lot, actually. People don’t become indoctrinated, they license themselves to believe that that which they think is beneficial to them is good. The essay Masses, Elites, and Rebels: The Theory of “Brainwashing” explains this phenomenon quite well. I’m aware of suicide bombers, cults, etc, but these aren’t a result of “reprogramming” or whatever you think China is doing, but instead due to people willingly believing that it’s correct.

            You are being what the rest of the world criticizes China for doing to its citizens. Being single minded with out a way to see past the delusions, and regurgitate random info without actually disseminating the root of things.

            The rest of the world doesn’t criticize China for this though, only westerners who’ve licensed themselves into thinking China is some dystopia. I haven’t regurgitated random info, I’ve directly answered your claims and built up my own defenses for mine.

            Again, you thinking being paid or not doesn’t change the merit , it absolutely does.

            Just like when red state newspapers report on news: they have to slant it to favour the payer or you don’t get paid. It’s how control works.

            I’m aware of how bias works in media, but it doesn’t mean that everything they say is wrong. If they said the sky is blue, it would be correct even if they were being paid to say so. What you believe about China comes from people paid to discredit it, after all, so your argument is more that we can’t believe what anyone has to say if they are paid to say it.

            This doesn’t even matter here, though, as I don’t get paid to do so.

          • m532@lemmy.ml
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            2 hours ago

            Its funny how you disprove your own “mind control” narrative by attempting it and failing to do it.